man up
To be brave or tough enough to deal with something in a manner that is considered strong or manly. (Compare man (“brace oneself, steel oneself”))
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He needs to man up and tell the truth.”
“When the project became difficult, the manager told the team they had to man up and finish the work.”
“Despite his deep-seated fear of the consequences, he knew he had to man up, accept responsibility for his errors, and face the board of directors.”
From *man* + *up*, patterned after the phrasal constructions *own up* and *buck up*.
- 01
be a man
To put up with something or take responsibility for it; to deal with something, such as pain or misfortune, without complaining.
- 02
be one's own man
To behave independently without the influence of others.
- 03
be the bigger man
To walk away from a conflict to prevent it from escalating.
- 04
boldly go where no man has gone before
To break new ground.
- 05
broken man
A man who has suffered significant and enduring emotional pain as a result of a highly unpleasant or traumatic event.
- 06
every man has a price
Everyone can be bribed or corrupted for a certain price.
- 07
faceless man
Someone who is not elected to political office, but exerts power over political affairs from behind the scenes.
- 08
funny man
Alternative form of funnyman.
Last updated August 10, 2026